It’s the last day of the Round of 16, and it’s the last day of 26 consecutive days of football at the 2026 World Cup. I have no idea what I’m even going to do with myself tomorrow, but we’ll worry about that later. (And that will largely depend on how the USMNT do tonight against Belgium.)
LFG.
PORTUGAL vs. SPAIN
It’s not been smooth sailing for either Portugal or Spain, both among the favorites for the tournament, but both struggling at times throughout the group stages. But both teams showed their inherent qualities
in the Round of 32, getting past Croatia and Austria, respectively. Spain’s win was especially impressive, while Portugal needed a last-second reprieve from VAR and technology to rule out a Croatia equalizer.
Pedro Neto has started all four games for Portugal, collecting one assist.
Date / Time: Monday, July 6, 2026, 3pm EDT; 8pm BST
Venue: AT&T Stadium, Arlington, TX, USA
Referee: Anthony Taylor (USA)
On TV: FOX, Telemundo (USA); BBC One (UK); elsewhere
Streaming online: FOX One, Peacock (USA); BBC iPlayer (UK)
USA vs. BELGIUM
The big one, as far as the nation’s concerned, saved for last.
The big talking point here is that Folarin Balogun’s red card suspension has been … uh, suspended? … so the striker will be eligible to play. This is a nearly unprecedented move from FIFA, though they did something similar way back in 1962, when they allowed (were bribed to let) Garrincha play in the final for Brazil after being sent off in the semifinal. More recently, they also suspended Cristiano Ronaldo’s ban that he should have served during the group stage after getting a red card for violent conduct in the last qualifier before the tournament.
FIFA corruption aside, the US will be seeking revenge for the 2014 Round of 16 matchup, in which Belgium prevailed in extra-time despite goalkeeper Tim Howard’s heroics.
Date / Time: Monday, July 6, 2026, 8pm EDT; 1am BST (next day)
Venue: Lumen Field, Seattle, WA, USA
Referee: Adham Makhadmeh (Jordan)
On TV: FOX, Telemundo (USA); BBC One (UK); elsewhere
Streaming online: FOX One, Peacock (USA); BBC iPlayer (UK)
